Mental Health First Aid (Wales) Training

November 6, 2018

Mental Health First Aid (Wales) Training

Increase knowledge, reduce stigma

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA Wales) is a 12-hour interactive course developed in Australia which is now delivered in 23 countries worldwide. The training was first pioneered in 2000 by Betty Kitchener and Anthony Jorm, with the aim of bettering the general understanding of mental health.

The idea behind MHFA (Wales) is that people (everyone!) should be taught to perform basic first aid for those experiencing mental distress, in the same way as we are taught first aid for physical symptoms.

The course itself aims to teach attendees to identify, understand and help a person who may be developing a mental health problem.

In the same way as we learn physical first aid, mental health first aid teaches us how to recognise when a person might need help and the best way to approach them. It gives you the tools to support your own and other people’s mental health.

Who is MHFA (Wales) training for?

We think MHFA (Wales) should be for everyone – mental health problems are extremely common, with one in four people experiencing some kind of mental health problem. Depression and anxiety are are the most common forms of mental health disorder in Wales.

Anyone is welcome on our training days, and the course is particularly useful for frontline workers, who regularly work closely with those experiencing mental health difficulties or undergoing a mental health crisis. The course gives attendees the opportunity to learn new skills that are applicable in all aspects of life.

The course is for you if you want to learn:

How to apply the 5 steps of MHFA (Wales)

How to respond if you believe someone is at risk of suicide

How to give immediate help until professional help is available

What to say and do in a crisis

The importance of good listening skills

Practice listening and responding

Understanding recovery from mental health problems

Understanding the connection between mental health problems and alcohol and drugs

Understanding the connection between mental health problems and discrimination